Beyond vodka and bears: What 5 Russians want you to know during Olympic games

5:04 PM,
Feb. 6, 2014

Written by

The Atlantic Ocean, Europe and thousands of miles lie between Indiana and Sochi, Russia, where the 2014 Winter Olympic Games are underway. But within the 317 area code there are about 3,000 people with an intimate knowledge of Russia and countries that made up of the former Soviet Republic.

These insiders know more than the 33 letters in the Cyrillic alphabet. They know, for instance, that Sochi is a seaside resort, complete with palm trees and temperatures that by a Russian's thermometer are considered tropical.

So why are the Olympics there? "We don't know ourselves," said Natalia ...